Sparring with Smokin' Joe: Joe Frazier's Epic Battles and Rivalry with Ali

by Glenn Lewis

"This Maileresque combination of personal reflection, boxing analysis, and sports biography is a must read for fight fans...." Booklist, Starred Review An intimate portrait of Joe Frazier, whose ferocious rivalry with Muhammad Ali made them both boxing legends and cultural touchstones for an era. Just in time for the fiftieth anniversary of the Fight of the Century (Ali–Frazier I), Sparring with Smokin’ Joe provides a penetrating, at times brutally candid, look at legendary champion Joe Frazier. Glenn Lewis spent several months in the gym, on the road, and in verbal tussles with Frazier in 1980, when Frazier was at a crossroads in his life and career. Lewis recounts Frazier’s candid takes on his still-recent Hall-of-Fame career, wars with Ali, and hard-scrabble roots. Frazier also reflects on Ali’s upcoming comeback fight against Larry Holmes, his own possible return to the ring, preparing his son Marvis for a pro boxing debut, and the impact of racial tensions and cultural upheaval on his fighting legacy. Sparring with Smokin’ Joe reveals compelling, never-before-heard anecdotes that give new insight into the usually private Frazier, including how Ali’s verbal attacks on Frazier alienated him from his own people and continued to trouble him long after retiring from the ring. An intimate portrait of a legendary fighter, Sparring with Smokin’ Joe finally shares Frazier’s side of an unforgettable rivalry.

Genres: Sports

256 pages, Hardcover

Published February 10, 2021

Reviews

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considered by many to be the best individual rivalry in all of sports, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fought three legendary heavyweight boxing matches in the 1970's. Frazier won the first two in 1971's "Fight of the Century" when Ali first attempted to regain the heavyweight crown he had lost after refusing military service during the Vietnam War. Ali then won the next two, a dispute decision in 1974, then again in 1975 in the "Thrilla in Manila". This rivalry has been well documented, especially those accounts that concentrate on Ali. This book, written by Glenn Lewis, an author who spent much time with Frazier in 1980, is an attempt to share the story from the Frazier point of view.

This book is not a biography, as it does not describe Frazier's entire life and boxing career, nor can it really be considered even a book strictly about Joe Frazier as there is a lot of material about his son Marvis, who at the time was an up and coming amateur boxer. Having been denied a shot at boxing in the 1980 Olympics because of the boycott of those Games by the United States, Marvis was trying to decide between turning pro or going to college. The stories shared by Marvis about his father and Marvis' short professional career, which ended with a first-round loss to Mike Tyson, are excellent. These also give the reader a glimpse into a side of Joe Frazier that many may not know when he became Marvis' manager and, according to many including the author, was not Joe's best work.

While Marvis' stories do make up a bigger share of the book than expected, this doesn't mean the reader will be shortchanged on the stories that make up the subtitle of the book. Even if the chapter or section is not primarily about Joe Frazier's fights or rivalry with Ali, one does not have to look too far until someone mentions something about Joe either fighting Ali in the past or making a comeback to fight Ali - remember, this is set in 1980 when Ali fought Larry Holmes and Frazier was mulling a comeback, which he later did with a loss and a draw in his final fights. Whether Joe Frazier was training Marvis, performing with his band as he was a talented musician, or just talking to Lewis, Ali was never far from his mind. This is clearly evident when Joe speaks about the taunting by Ali, especially when it turned racial such as calling Frazier a gorilla, as Frazier is very angry about it and is still hurt by it years later. His memories of the fights are not quite as upsetting, even his two losses, as those stories make very good reading as well, whether they are from Frazier, another source or the author.

While the book is not a complete account of the most famous rivalry in boxing history, it does give a reader an excellent view of both Fraziers at that moment and is one that any fan of boxing in that era will want to read.

I wish to thank Rowman and Littlefield Publishers for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


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[John Yingling · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book about boxing, relationships, growing older, and the lessons we learn along the way. The book is not just about the Ali-Frazier bouts and their interactions outside the ring. It’s also the touching, sometimes fractious relationship between Joe Frazier and his son Marvis. I also gained, from reading this book, a greater appreciation for Joe Frazier as a very dedicated, hard-working man who lifted himself from poverty and dealings with racism to prominence in the boxing world and as a man.

[Ellison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Begins in 1980 when the author has a chance for 'unrestricted access' to the former champ as he trains his son to join the family business of boxing and time Joe spends on the road...SINGING?! . It bounces back and forth between the current times and the past when Joe battled Ali. HOPES for a comeback/rematch! Ali's presence is never far from the storyline.

Occasional insight, a bit slow. B/W pix, RIP.

[Mark Rimelspach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read on the golden age of boxing and Joe Frazier. Covers many of the great matches and the behind the scenes life of a great champion.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subtitle is a misnomer. The heart of this book is about Joe Frazier's relationship with his son Marvis, with an overview of Frazier's boxing career (and rivalry with Ali) randomly dropped in spots. The randomness makes this an oddly structured book.

The father-son relationship Lewis explores is compelling. Joe comes off as a well-meaning father who forced his own boxing ambitions onto Marvis--ambitions that were not in the son's best interests. It's a very good study of a once-great athlete struggling to turn the page.

Had Lewis drawn the narrative out and given the same treatment to Joe's career and other familial relationships like he did to the one with Marvis, I think this would be a classic biography. Instead, the book feels like a lost opportunity.

[S Ravishankar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a chronology of events in the eventful life of Joe Frazier, a great heavyweight boxer who was partially instrumental in propelling the capture of the sporting world's attention to this sport.
At a different level the book captures the life of Joe Frazier outside the ring; how his life was impacted by his own actions and non-actions. The life of his son, Marvis was most impacted.
On a separate note the book talks about how much Joe was hurt by the racial taunts of Mohammad Ali, his nemesis. Ali appears to have moved on from this; Joe was unable to do so upto the end of his life.
Interesting book for folllovers of Boxing who in its great times of the 70s and 80s....

[Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first time reading about Joe Frazier. I enjoyed that part. I got tired of the book by the end. Edited down to 150 pages it would have been better or more pictures.